Maybe something for GC4? This is one thing which might actually be easier to code under MC1.8.
I am aware this is something people have been asking for for some time.
There is a "window of opportunity" to make a few changes currently in the GC4 betas.
Here are my current thoughts.
I am
not willing to implement an EnderIO / Thermal Expansion style system. That's a system where up to all 6 faces of each block are configurable as different energy / fluid / item inputs/outputs, or inputs/outputs can be switched off, using an internal GUI made for this. Four good reasons why I am not willing to do this:
(1) EnderIO and Thermal Expansion are purely tech / connection mods, it makes sense for them to spend a lot of detail on stuff like input/output configurations, but Galacticraft is not that type of mod at all: at its heart, Galacticraft is about getting the player into
space not messing about with machine configurations
(2) Galacticraft aims for
simplicity, with its energy and fluid pipe systems - for example there's only (2-3) types of energy connection and 1 type of fluid pipe, and everything starts working immediately when you place the blocks - that's our intention anyhow - this simplicity also makes Galacticraft more accessible for younger players (simplicity for players - we're actually fairly sophisticated 'under the hood' with high performance code for energy distribution which outperforms every other mod, even though we are at the same time compatible with more types of energy than any other mod)
(3) A major change of this nature would be incredibly time-consuming for the developers and take the focus away from other more fun development in Galacticraft, it would also be likely to give rise to a lot of support issues, as it's almost guaranteed that there would be bugs and issues in any new system
(4) It's actually not to my
taste - I kind of like Thermal Expansion + Thermal Foundation, some parts of their system work in a way I like (for example the yellow / blue / red corners on the usable faces of Energy Cells): but EnderIO I think looks "un-Minecraft" and doesn't fit with the aesthetic of the game and other mods.
So let's talk about what I can consider doing!
A. The system needs to be simple, it needs to be clear from just looking at the machine what each face is for, and every machine needs to work from its default faces when first placed, without any configuration needed
B. The functionality of every face needs to be present always - not going to have options where (for example) the fluid pipe input can be switched on or off
C. The default arrangement for each machine needs to say the same as it is now, so that players who don't change the configuration will not notice any change - I don't want anything which breaks existing builds
D. I don't want anything which changes the existing GUIs in Galacticraft or the existing textures of the machines - we're just talking here about which texture is drawn on which face
E. Changes to the configuration have to be possible with the
Standard Wrench alone. I'm OK with the possibility of wrench-click for a simple rotation, and
Shift (Sneak)-wrench-click to make a more complicated change - similar to the Configurator item in IC2
F. The bottom face of each machine normally needs to be kept clear, as that's where a Hopper can go for output (the three Tier 2 gas machines are different as they are mainly about outputting gases or liquids, not items, so that's why those machines have energy on their bottom face)
What all this is pointing to is actually a fairly straightforward change. We can have a system where the
front face of each machine, with the graphic, can be changed by using Shift-wrench-click. The front would "trade places" with whichever other face of the machine is Shift-wrench-clicked.
I think this simple change would cover 95% of what people are asking for in this thread. It would let people build a "wall of machines" without visible energy connections. But machines needing pipe or item connections might still have to have those on show. It would also let people build some machines in the floor, which is how I like building sometimes.
There are some machines where some faces would not be options for the front face - for example Fuel Loaders or Cargo Loaders backing onto landing pads. And something like the Astro Miner Dock won't be changing at all.
DISCLAIMER : although I'm opening this for
discussion I am not promising to implement any of this in GC4. It might prove to be difficult or impossible, for some coding reason I haven't thought of. There might simply not be time for me to fit this in before release, and it might be world-breaking to change something like this after release.